Cultural Exchanges in 2009 between China and DPRK

The year 2009 marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the DPRK. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary， the two countries decided to mark 2009 as the China-DPRK Friendship Year and held many activities with far-reaching significance.

A joint show staged by artists of the two countries at the National Grand Theater in Beijing on March 18， 2009 marked the beginning of the whole year’s programs. Present at the show were Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and DPRK Premier Kim Yong-il.

The 26th Spring of April， a traditional celebration of DPRK， was held in Pyongyang from April 8 to 18 as the second large celebration of the Friendship Year， 120 Chinese artists from Shanghai Orchestra and Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe performed at the gala. Chen Xieyang， a senior conductor with the Shanghai Orchestra， had been to Pyongyang three times before. It was his fourth visit to the city. Under his baton， the Shanghai musicians successfully performed Chinese， Korean and some western music pieces. The audience was thrilled.

The acrobats from Shanghai staged breathtaking stunts， including a gold-prize spectacular act at Monte Carlo. Also participating in the festival was Jinlin Provincial Peking Opera Theater from China. They performed some highlights of traditional Peking Opera masterpieces. One highlight starred the monkey king， the popular hero of the Chinese literary masterpiece “Journey to the West”. The monkey king in the highlight was warmly applauded by the DPRK audience， as the novel is popular with the DPRK people.

To celebrate the Children’s Day on June 1 and the Friendship Year， Shanghai Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries and its DPRK counterpart jointly held an exhibition of children’s paintings and calligraphies in Pyongyang.

Films and television dramas played play a key part in the cultural programs designed for the Friendship Year. In early September， the two countries joined hands in holding a DPRK film week in Beijing. On September 29， the curtain lifted on China Film Week in Pyongyang. Promoted by the Culture Department of Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang， the two television networks in DPRK screened some of China’s newest films and television dramas as well as some documentaries.

“Dream of Red Mansions”， a classic Chinese novel by Cao Xueqin (1715-1764) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)， was adapted to opera by DPRK artists. Since September 2009， the opera has been performed in Pyongyang and Hamhung in DPRK. It is popular with DPRK audiences.

The DPRK artists adapted the Chinese classic into an opera in the 1960s. The late Chinese leaders Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping watched the opera during their visit to DPRK with Kim Il-sung， the late leader of DPRK. It was restaged under the instruction of Kim Jong-il， the present leader of DPRK. Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo watched the show during his visit to Pyongyang in September， 2009. Premier Wen Jiabao watched the opera during his visit to DPRK in October， 2009. Premier Wen spoke highly of the performance.

DPRK artists also staged “Sentinels under Neon Lights”， a Chinese drama first performed by DPRK artists in the 1960s shortly after the original was a huge success in China. Kim Il-sung watched the drama twice during his visits to China. “Sentinels under Neon Lights” has been very popular since it was first restaged in DPRK five months ago. So far， hundreds of thousands of DPRK theatergoers have watched the drama.

On September 28， 2009， the China Oil-Painting Exhibition was jointly held in Pyongyang in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the diplomatic relations between China and DPRK. Over 60 oil paintings by 40 contemporary Chinese artists were on display. On October 2， a photograph exhibition was held in Pyongyang. 60 pictures on display related stories in the past 60 years between China and DPRK.

Premier Wen Jiabao’s Visit to DPRK

During his less-than-48-hour official goodwill visit to DPRK， the Chinese premier met with DPRK leaders and watched three performances including the DPRK opera version of “Dream of Red Mansions” and “Arirang”， the famous DPRK gala show.

128 Chinese artists came with Premier Wen to visit DPRK. They and the artists of the Mansudae Art Troup of DPRK jointly staged a show attended by Premier Wen Jiabao and DPRK Premier Kim Yong-il.

Of all the DPRK troupes that visited China during the Friendship Year， Pyongyang Art Troupe’s presence in China was the longest. In August， 15 artists from the troupe appeared at the 11th Asia Art Festival. They staged “Long Drum Dance”， a spectacular act which wowed the audiences. Shortly afterwards， 35 artists of the troupe began a road show in more than 10 provinces and municipalities across China. The 50-year-old DPRK Film Symphony paid its first visit to China during the China-DPRK Friendship Year. Of the 50 plus DPRK artists were some film stars who appeared in “Flower Girl”， an extremely popular DPRK film made in 1972 and screened in China in the 1970s. The Chinese audiences were very pleased to see these film artists again in real life.

In October， 2009， Pyongyang Acrobatics Troupe staged a show at Wuqiao International Acrobatic Art Festival held in northern China’s Hebei Province. The DPRK acrobats won two Gold Lion Awards for two breathtaking acts.

In the China-DPRK Friendship Year， the two countries were also engaged in exchange programs in sports， education， health care， children and youth， and women. Cultural exchanges were the most eye-catching part of all the exchange programs. Altogether， these programs constituted a new chapter for the history of friendly ties between China and DPRK.